The Gift of Roses
by FlashDriver
Summary: Written for Silvaze Week's Valentine's day event, 2019. This oneshot depicts Silver and Blaze spending what little of Valentine's day they can together, working around her busy schedule. It is set in the Sol dimension, taking place before they've entered a proper relationship. Hopefully, you enjoy!


As flowers went, Blaze had never much cared for roses. There was a furore surrounding them she could liken to no other flower; from each of their colours having their own meanings to the way their thorns supposedly made them a dangerous beauty. So commonly named in songs and so often painted, other flowers might as well not have existed. Even outside their place in the public consciousness roses had to be the most common plant in the royal gardens. At a glance this was obvious; there was row upon row of rosebushes she knew to be older than her. Around a third of the grounds were home to rose varieties, far too much of it in her mind.

So why was a bouquet, wrapped in teal light and hovering just beyond her reach, conjuring such a palpable reaction? The feline felt her face glow, her tail refused to lie still and she surely hadn't blinked since she'd eyed those flower. Blaze had awoken that fourteenth of February, slid out of bed, got dressed and opened her curtains, only to find a bundle of flowers suspended before her. Deep red roses with thorny green stems; bound by a crimson ribbon that'd clearly torn once or twice on said spikes. Had he bought them, found them or… had he cut them from the garden, why didn't that matter to her right now? Hands pressed to the window she scanned from the sky to the cobbles but his frame was nowhere to be seen, nor was his unmistakable light.

Mind catching up with body Blaze opened her window and leaned out; still, there was no sight of the hedgehog but, plucking the bouquet from the air, Blaze noticed a small card tied around a flower's stem. As the window closed behind her the flowers lost their brightness and returned to their normal weight. They were real, stem still dripping and thorns sharp to the touch, he'd actually got her roses. As reality became undeniable, feeling exposed despite no one watching, she quickly drew her curtains.

His chicken-scratch handwriting, much too big for the tag, spelt out "To Blaze, Happy Valentine's Day." It went unsigned but it was more than obvious Silver had delivered them. Blaze hadn't expected much to come of today, they hadn't even planned to meet; she had duties to attend, meetings for most of the day and guardian duties for what remained. She'd been almost certain he didn't know what Valentine's Day was; when they spoke yesterday he hadn't breathed a word about it, yet he'd done this? It was so blatant, so blunt; that fact that it wasn't face to face almost made it worse, she couldn't respond immediately!

The two had danced around their feelings for months now; having what weren't officially dates but, if looked at correctly, could certainly have been such. Silver wasn't exactly subtle, blushing at the touch of a hand or a bright enough smile, but then neither was she. But then, if they were dancing around these feelings, she'd surely been the one leading. She'd take his hand and the room would warm, her tail had snuck around his waist more times than she dared recount and she'd leant against his chest fur at least half as often. Had this been inevitable? Had she prompted it? She'd taken a few, well perhaps more than a few, smaller steps yet he now led.

Lost in her thoughts a thorough pound at the door near threw the usually surefooted princess from her feet. Her eyes were thrown to the door, the bizarrely loud hammering still ongoing, then down to the bouquet in her hands. Was it Silver? No, he wouldn't knock like that and why wouldn't he have come to her window? Gardon, if something were wrong he'd knock like that; but if he burst in and saw the flowers he'd panic and…

Feeling her temperature soar she stuffed the roses beneath her covers, hopefully, they'd last, before rushing to the door who dared to-

"Mate! Open up mate! Come on mate, I know you're up; come on!" Marine, of course, she dared to pound on a princess' door. Blaze heaved a deep breath, attempting to steady herself, before unlocking the door. Immediately the Raccoon set upon Blaze, bursting into the room and near enough tackling the Blaze. "Took you long enough mate, I was… Oi, what've you done with the flowers?"

"W-What flowers?" The feline's jaw tightened as her voice failed her; she'd denied the gift on reflex and immediately regretted it.

Marine's eyes flickered across the room, clearly searching for the bouquet, but as they did she wore what must have been the widest, most mocking, grin she could manage. "Oh, just a dozen red roses mate, floating outside your window surrounded by psychic energy, the ones wi' a tag on 'em written by your not so secret admirer." The brat took a step further into the room, "You know, those flowers, easy to miss."

Blaze didn't allow her to pass but, struggling to keep her temperament, the pyrokinetic sighed and asked, "What do you want Marine?"

"Me mate? I don't want anythin'… well… actually," The smile transformed, going from mischievous to innocent in the blink of an eye; ironically more devious. "A certain someone's prepared you a certain somethin', I guess I wanted to let you know that."

Heat returned to the princess' cheeks; her guard broken her brows moved to mount a defence, lowering into a frown. "Marine, if you've tricked him into thinking this day's something that it's not I won't be pleased."

"Eh? I haven't been teachin' him." The raccoon's false innocent was replaced by genuinely innocent shock. "No mate, Silver's in the kitchen by his own accord; I swear on my ships he is. I came up to tell you."

Blaze closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she attempted to cool herself. It was a lot to process; not only did Silver understand Valentine's Day well enough to deliver roses but he'd come early in the morning, catching her both unaware and before work, to cook something? All without Amy or Marine to tease or lead him? Well, perhaps he'd asked the pink hedgehog for advice when they last met? Either way for him to follow through with it, considering how quick he was to blush and stutter, was almost unbelievable. Regardless, he was here; she'd have a chance to respond, she had to do it right.

Exhaling Blaze opted to pry, "Well, what is it he's making?"

Marine grimaced, "I feel like I've already given too much away… do you really want me to ruin the surprise?" It was a successful counter.

While on one hand Blaze didn't want to ruin a surprise on the other knowing would settle her nerves and lower her temperature. "Is it meant to be a surprise?"

"To be honest mate, I'm not sure? He's um…" Marine scratched her head, clearly searching for the right words. "He may be doin' all this but he's still Silver mate. He's down there panicking way more than you are. Wasn't exactly clear on if it's a surprise but I mean… it probably should be, the roses were weren't they?"

Embarrassment still bubbling within her the princess took a step toward the door, only to immediately stop. She turned, pacing back inside. "If he's trying this hard I need to return his effort."

"Oh? Wait, have you got him somethin'? Were you plannin' to surprise him too? Aww, see, you're on the same wavelength." Though Blaze caught the mockery dripping from the young girl's voice she paid it no heed.

"No, I've… I've had this for a while. The moment was never quite right." Blaze had reached into her desk, delving beneath various vital royal documents, to retrieve a small box.

Holding her breath she opened it, finding the contents just as she'd left them. Housed within the box was a locket, a heart (around four inches wide and a little over two tall) hung on a simple but genuine gold chain. Within its metal cast wasn't a photograph, rather it housed an image drawn and shrunken to fit. When they'd been separated they'd lost more than each other, the world they'd lived in had been erased; their home and belongings had been completely lost. There were no mementoes of their childhood together and so she'd seen fit to have one made. The locket depicted them as they'd once been, a kitten with a much too serious face and a young hedgehog beaming as he clung to her. It didn't quite look like them, they were depicted as uninjured after all, but it best matched when they'd met at age eight; when he'd tried foolishly hard to win her trust, making grand promises to beat up anyone who insulted her flames.

Hearing Marine's poor attempt at stealth, trying to sneak a peek no doubt, Blaze quickly closed the locket and returned it to the box. Blaze turned and stepped past the young Raccoon, making for the castle halls only to have her wrist grabbed. "I get that you're bein' a spoilsport, not lettin' me peep and all, but you're meant to bring the roses."

Without a word Blaze turned, pulling back the covers and unveiling them; fortunately weren't too dishevelled. Taking them, careful to mind the thorns, she went to leave only to find Marine already in the hallway.

"Alright, I'll escort the princess out for her mornin' tryst! You've got lots of smoochin' to do and not much time to do it in." Did she really have to shout?

Blaze took a deep, trying to keep herself cool, before following the young girl; trying to tune out her incessant babbling. Fortunately, their journey went smoothly, there was no sign of Gardon nor any of the Coconut crew, but as they reached the first floor Marine made for the gardens rather than the dining room.

Blaze hesitated, to follow. "I thought Silver was in the kitchen?"

"He is mate, but you don't eat in the kitchen; do you?" She hadn't stopped, pushing back the doors and wandering outside "No, you eat outside, like a regular person."

Blaze felt herself begin to panic again, just how far ahead had he thought this through? How long had he been planning this? Eventually, she shook those thoughts off, hurrying to follow. It wasn't a perfect day outside, clouds dotted the sky and the wind was a touch more than gentle, but that was the least of her worries. Marine was leading her deep into the garden, the grounds were huge but Blaze already knew where she was being taken. Near the centre of the garden, where the rose bushes grew their thickest, was a small clearing that'd occasionally see use for picnics. Of course, it'd be there, roses upon roses upon roses; he really was embracing the day.

Sure enough Marine stopped in the clearing. A simple wooden table had been set on the grass, topped with what was either a red tablecloth or (more likely) duvet. There were two seats, taken from the regular dining quarters, and on the table between them was a vase for the very flowers she'd brought. Despite the effort's simplicity, a further wave of embarrassment shuddered through Blaze; her vision dropped to her feet only to be obscured by the roses. Before she could flare up the princess sheathed the roses within the vase, taking her seat at the table. There wasn't a chair for Marine.

"As much joy as I'm sure it'd bring you to watch Marine," She caught herself; she'd been about to throw a barb for hopes it'd keep her away. With a sigh, placing her hands on the table, Blaze tried again; "Please just go."

The Raccoon was turned to the castle, hand raised to block the sun even though it was behind her. "Oh, mate, he already made sure of that; Silver and I have a deal, soon as I get my pay I'm off."

Blaze blinked. "Your pay?"

Clearly ignoring her the raccoon pointed to the sky, "Oh speak of the devil, here he comes!"

Blaze dared to follow and, as she'd claimed, a glowing figure was descending; wrapped in cyan light with four glowing objects orbiting him. She removed her hands from the table lest her blush set it alight; she could feel her heart thump and her mind blur yet sharpen all at once. As he touched down the bright cloak didn't leave his person, he handed Marine one of the items and leant in to whisper something… something that clearly amused the young girl.

"You don't have to tell me twice mate." She cast a glance backwards, that mischievous smile had returned, she shouted out, "Have fun you two!" Before bounding off with a plate in hand, a plate that would surely get lost in the garden but in truth that was the least of Blaze's concerns.

Glow remaining he walked over without a word, taking one of the floating objects in his hands. As he placed it in front of her the light stripped away; immediately a sweet smell was released. Sat atop a plate was a stack of five pancakes, chocolate baked into them, cut into hearts and littered with fresh strawberries and raspberries. It was almost blunter than the roses; he'd made the effort to cut them in that specific shape after all.

When she found the nerve to look up he'd floated into his chair, a plate of his own sat before him and what looked to be a book lay next to it. Despite taking his place his body was still fully obscured; if anything the light looked to have grown denser. Could he even see through it?

Plucking up the nerve she broke the silence, "Th-Thank you Silver but is everything alright?."

He went to speak only to stop himself, tugging at his chest fur and causing the energy to crackle off of itself. His head lowered and, finally, the psychic layer faded away. She'd half expected a change in appearance, seeing as he'd been hiding himself, but no; by the way, he kept tugging at his chest and what redness she could see from this angle the hedgehog was clearly just embarrassed. She heard him take a deep breath and finally he raised his head, quills jostling as he sat fully back in his chair.

"I-I… um…" Silver had naturally a strong blush, she'd seen it often enough to know that much, but the look he wore now was of a higher magnitude. A crimson flush ran from his chin to the tips of this ears, the sweat on his brow was incredibly plain and his breathing seemed laboured. He was so embarrassed she could see it in his eyes, the way they struggled to focus on any one thing. "I g-guess I should explain all… this."

Blaze wasn't sure what there was to be explained, it all seemed rather obvious, but she was in no state to stop him. Cutting into the top pancake she opted to simply nod.

"I-I know this is really sudden, a-and I know you're busy today, but I wanted to at least do… s-something for today? B-But I don't really know much about it, I-I researched as best I could but I didn't even know if they had this day in your dimension." He slid the book across the table to her, a weathered cookbook that looked to have lost a good third of its pages. It was opened to a page title Valentine's Day Pancakes. "Y-You see… the last time I was in the future I found this book, before that I didn't even know what Valentine's really was? But as soon as I understood I knew I wanted to… do something."

Blaze attempted to distract herself from that embarrassing implication, placing the first chunk of pancake into her mouth. He hadn't made pancakes before, or rather he hadn't for her, but by the sight and especially the taste of them he'd clearly put in effort. The chocolate wasn't overwhelming, the cakes weren't too heavy, and while it was still a little early for fruit he'd clearly searched out the best he could find. If this was his first time he'd more than exceeded expectations.

"I-I still kind of don't know about its intricacies, I read a lot but it's not like I'd experienced one. I get the feeling this might be a little…" He stumbled for the word, "Blunt? B-But, uhm, I hope that's okay? I didn't want to mess this up, especially seeing as it's the first one and all." He was pulling at his chest fur again, staring down at the plate. As if gripped by some sudden realisation he leaned back a little, eyes wide but focused on her. The stuttering continued, "N-Not that there has to be more or anything! We can even stop this one if you want, th-there's no pressure or anything."

Clearly, he feared these feeling weren't mutual, but then he always had; no matter how she'd pushed it clearly hadn't got through to him. Well perhaps returning his push would? With his words in mind, having regained most of her control, she managed to speak again. "Silver, you understand what today is for don't you?" Blaze drew the box from her lap, reaching past the roses to hold it before him. "The relationship between those celebrating it?"

"Y-Yeah," His shoulders were still tense but his eyes softened as he reached out to take her gift. Their fingers brushed for a moment as he gingerly took it from her. The feline, seeing him still so embarrassed, felt her confidence begin to return.

"In that case, you're doing wonderfully Silver, I don't intend on leaving until I truly have to." It was all the reassurance he needed; the hedgehog gently opened the box, ears spiking at the sight. The locket's heart shape was rather intentional, though perhaps a little too on the nose… but then, as he'd said himself, so were his actions. "We're both quite new to this, I-I think blunt might be best."

Having looked it over he eventually thumbed over the latch, rather awkwardly struggling to open it in his embarrassed stupor. Eventually, he managed and, as he did, his whole body seemed to relax. He sat far more comfortably in his chair, his face was still red but wore a soft smile rather than a grimace twisted by uncertainty.

"We don't have anything left of our past together so I had it commissioned." Blaze wasn't certain she was explaining herself correctly, it'd already been a rather long morning, but she kept going. "I know it's a little odd but I feel like it's an important thing to have, to make it all a little more tangible."

"Th-Thank you Blaze, I didn't know I…" He failed to muffle a laugh, cutting off his own embarrassed stuttering. "You look so angry."

Blaze rolled her eyes, "Of course I do, some naïve hedgehog is refusing to let go of me. I already agreed to be his partner, what more could he want?"

He still looked more than a little overwhelmed; his embarrassment remained at the forefront but beyond it, Blaze saw warmth in his eyes. They'd changed a lot since then, both in dynamic and personality, but much had stayed the same. He wore his heart on his sleeve and brought hers to bear; drawing forth a comfortable smile she rarely wore otherwise.

"I've had it for a few months but it never seemed like the right time." She admitted, "If you hadn't acted today it might have lain in there for many more. Thank you for doing this Silver."

"Thank you Blaze a-and I-I'm glad I did and I-I… erm…j-just…" The hedgehog swallowed, managing to pry his eyes from the locket. Those bright yellow eyes still shined warm, the red of his cheeks had fully returned. "H-Happy Valentine's day Blaze."

The smile still lingered on her lips; he'd exceeded her expectations but she still led this dance. She'd match every step he made. "Happy Valentine's day Silver."


End file.
